VeriSign Delivers Roadmap For Strong Authentication Services Built On The Microsoft Windows Environm

VeriSign will work with Microsoft Corp. to deliver authentication services that combine Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with VeriSigns strong authentication services.These services will significantly decrease the cost and complexity of deploying strong authentication across the enterprise. VeriSign will demonstrate this technology, which will go into Beta in April 2004, and general availability of this service is slated for Summer 2004.M For end users, VeriSigns strong authentication service uses and extends Microsoft protocols licensed as part of a strategic partnership announced in June 2003. This will allow for seamless provisioning of desktop PKI credentials to include additional strong credentials, such as One Time Password (OTP) tokens, PKI tokens, smart cards, and desktop PKI. These strong credentials can be used in a variety of built-in Microsoft applications, such as secure VPN, WIFI access or secure email. Additionally, this service will allow network administrators to use Microsoft Active Directory to manage users, and Microsoft Management Console to provision credentials. These components will then be linked to VeriSigns highly scalable, reliable, and secure strong authentication service to validate 2-factored credentials. The combined solution will allow enterprises to deploy strong authentication in scale, leveraging their existing infrastructure, with minimal additional hardware or software. VeriSigns strong authentication service also includes one of the first reference implementations of the OATH architecture. Announced on February 23, 2004, OATH is a revolutionary new approach to drive more ubiquitous adoption of strong authentication technology across all users, devices, and networks. Based primarily on existing standards, OATH will help to ensure that secure credentials can be provisioned and verified by disparate software and hardware platforms, removing traditional barriers to widespread adoption.